ENG 5010-001: Studies In Twentieth-Century American .

Eastern Illinois UniversityThe KeepFall 2006Fall 8-15-2006ENG 5010-001: Studies in Twentieth-CenturyAmerican Literature: African American WhitenessTim EnglesEastern Illinois UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/english syllabi fall2006Recommended CitationEngles, Tim, "ENG 5010-001: Studies in Twentieth-Century American Literature: African American Whiteness" (2006). Fall 2006.150.http://thekeep.eiu.edu/english syllabi fall2006/150This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the 2006 at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Fall 2006 by an authorizedadministrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact tabruns@eiu.edu.2006

50{0- 00{Studies in Twentieth-Century American Literature:African American WhitenessEnglish 50 IO-Fall, 2006Instructor: Tim EnglesPhone: 581-6316 (it's usually easier to reach me by e-mail: tdengles@eiu.edu)Office hours (Coleman 3831): Tues/Thurs, 2:00 - 3:00 and by appointmentCourse listserv: 5010f06@lists.eiu.eduRequired Texts:David R. Roediger Black on White (1998)Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark (1992)Langston Hughes, The Ways of White Folks ( 1934)Zora Neale Hurston, Seraph on the Suwanee (1948)Richard Wright, Savage Holiday (1954)Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye (1970)Octavia Butler, Kindred (1979)Percival Everett, Erasure (2001)Course Description:America's literary canon has expanded to include a number of African Americans. Likeauthors who write from other identifiable or self-proclaimed minority positions, AfricanAmerican writers tend to be read in search of insight into their own supposed groupexperience. Thus, it may surprise you to learn that a great deal of African Americanintellectual energy has been devoted to understanding the complexities of whiteexperience, and of white power. In part because those Americans who have been labeled"black" have had much to fear from those who have been labeled "white," manysignificant African American writers have provided penetrating insight into the thoughts,values, and behavior of America's racial majority, insights from which even whitesthemselves can learn. As we will see, such stories, essays, and novels can also help usunderstand the broader significance for all Americans of centuries of white hegemony.Our course will be conducted as an inquiring conversation on these matters, with youractive participation central to our work. Because the success of our conversations willdepend so heavily on everyone's participation, it is crucial that you keep up with thereading, and that you do so with careful attention. In fact, we will begin each session witha reading quiz, primarily intended to insure that you do maintain attentive reading habits.Also, the rule regarding attendance is: be here. If you have more than two absences thissemester, your course grade will drop a full letter grade for each absence beyond two.

Course Requirements:1. Written response and oral presentation: Each student will choose one day on thesyllabus. For this class session, you will write a two-page, single-spaced response/review of a related secondary source (usually chosen by the instructor). This writtenresponse will be duplicated and handed out to the rest of us on the day of yourpresentation, and it will function as your guidelines for summarizing the secondarysource's main or most useful points, and for leading class discussion for a significantportion of the session. Suggestions: focus attention on a problem or set of problems, andthe apparent solution(s) offered in the secondary source; make connections, within thetext, and/or with others; zero in on a significant or surprising aspect of the secondarysource and/or the novel that we're reading at the time. Other approaches are of coursepossible. The written response should end with at least two questions whose answerscould provide, as you see it, keys to understanding the primary text under discussion.Don't plan on talking by yourself for long-your main goal is to stimulate discussion.After the discussion of the text, you will then revise your response (into something nomore than three pages, single spaced) on the basis of your reaction to how classdiscussion changed (or verified) your response to the secondary source, and describingalso how well you think your presentation and the class discussion went. This revisionwill be due one week after the in-class presentation. ( 15%)2. 5-7 page critical essay: This paper will focus on any one of our syllabus readings fromthe first half or so of the semester (in the case of Morrison's Playing in the Dark, youcould focus on it alone, or use it to help interpret another work on the syllabus). Focusyour close interpretation of the work in any way you choose, taking your reader beyondwhat most readers are likely to realize when first reading the text. You are welcome toincorporate points and insights raised during class discussion, but if you do so, do yourbest to add further insight. Like the longer essay, this one will follow traditionalconventions for academic essays (e.g., unity, coherence, proper formatting and MLAstyle documentation, and so on). You are welcome to use any secondary sources, but theyare not required for this paper. Because this essay is due near midterm, you can think of itas a kind of take-home midterm. (20%)3. 12-15 page research essay: This paper will focus on one of the other literary texts onour syllabus (in other words, you may not write about the same text in both essays). Thetopic is open, as long as it relates directly to some of our readings and discussions, and a250-400 word proposal will be required beforehand. The essay must reflect your closeattention to and understanding of insights and interpretive concepts that will have arisenthroughout the semester, and of course, it must be an entirely new essay (not somethingyou wrote for a previous course). (25%)A bit more about essays: All writing assignments are due at the beginning of the classperiod on the day they are due, whether the student is in class or not. Late-paper penalty:fifteen points each day late. IMPORTANT: When each of the two essays is turned in, itMUST be accompanied in a manila folder by all notes and drafts written towards it, withthe final copy of the essay on top of this material. I will use these materials to gauge and

offer comments on your writing process. I WILL NOT GRADE an essay that is notaccompanied by material that clearly demonstrates several earlier stages leading up to thefinal draft, so be sure to save all such materials (if you do most or all of your writing on acomputer, print out occasional drafts to include with your final copy). Essaysunaccompanied by materials that clearly demonstrate several stages of developmenttoward the final copy will receive an automatic ZERO.4. Final exam (take home-details will be provided later in the semester) (25%)5. Active, thoughtful class participation and good reading-quiz grades: I will not deliverlectures in this class; because we are a relatively small group, we must all contribute to apositive, challenging, interesting learning environment. Doing so will call for yourcareful concentration before class on each assigned reading, and your willingness to shareyour thoughts, questions, and feelings with others about what you read and hear. Again,because your careful preparation for class is so crucial, I will begin each session with areading quiz. I know that because you are graduate students I can trust most of you tokeep up with our heavy reading load, but past experience has demonstrated that readingquizzes are the best way to ensure that everyone is prepared to participate in classdiscussion. Questions on the quiz can also function at times as a good lead-in to classdiscussion. Because the answers to unannounced quizzes tend to arise during classdiscussion, and because one purpose of the quizzes is to encourage punctual classattendance, these quizzes cannot be made up (even if you come to class late). Thesequizzes also function as a reward for those who attend class regularly and on time. On theother hand, I recognize that students must miss class at times and therefore might miss aquiz through no fault of their own, so at the end of the semester I will drop your lowestquiz grade when calculating your grades. Be aware that most of these novels are intense,concentrated, demanding readings, and schedule your study time accordingly. (15%)Other Matters:E-mail: Enrollment in this class requires an e-mail account, and I strongly recommendthat you use your free EIU account or another account (be aware that Yahoo, Hotmail,and other free accounts are sometimes too limited for professional purposes). E-mail isthe quickest, easiest way to reach me if I am not in my office; I welcome any and allquestions and comments.Academic honesty: I expect you to act honestly and do your own work in this class, andso does Eastern Illinois University. It is your responsibility (once again) to familiarizeyourself with the English Department's policy on plagiarism: "Any teacher whodiscovers an act of plagiarism-' The appropriation or imitation of the language, ideas,and/or thoughts of another author, and representation of them as one's original work'(Random House Dictionary of the English Language )-has the right and theresponsibility to impose upon the guilty student an appropriate penalty, up to andincluding immediate assignment of a grade of F for the course, and to report the incidentto the Judicial Affairs Office."

ENGLISH 5010: DAILY SCHEDULE(this schedule may be subject to change)Note: This schedule may change; any changes will be announced in advance. Readingassignments are to be completed by the dates on which they appear on the syllabus. BE SURE tobring the appropriate handout or book to class if a reading assignment is listed for that day.R AUG 24 Introduction to course, each other, etc.Langston Hughes, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926)M AUG 28 8 p.m. - deadline for sending an e-mail message to Dr. Engles(tdengles@eiu.edu), who will use your edress to subscribe you to theclass listservIn your message, (1) identify which course you're in (English 5010); (2) describeyourself in whatever way you choose, including your career aspirations; and (3)write a statement to the effect that you have carefully read and agree with theabove course policies and requirements (or perhaps that you disagree with someof them-which is okay, if you explain why)R AUG 31 Roediger, Black on White, 1-55F SEP 1 Graduate student orientation and reception, 3 p.m., English DepartmentConference RoomR SEP 7 Butler, Kindred, and Painter, "Slavery and Soul Murder" (in Roediger,Black on White)R SEP 14 KindredR SEP 21 Hughes, The Ways of White FolksR SEP 28 Morrison, Playing in the DarkR OCT 5 Morrison, The Bluest EyeR OCT 12 The Bluest EyeR OCT 19 Wright, Savage Holiday and "Uncle Tom's Children" (handout)Paper 1 due at the beginning of classR OCT 26 Savage Holiday

R NOV 2 Hurston, Seraph on the SuwaneeR NOV 9 Seraph on the SuwaneeR NOV 16 Everett, ErasureProposal for final paper due at the beginning of class (if you prefer, it's okayto send this proposal by e-mail to tdengles@eiu.edu)M NOV 20 - F NOV 24 Thanksgiving RecessR DEC 30 ErasureR DEC 7 Final day of class; final papers dueM DEC 15 - F DEC 19 final exams; our final exam period is Thursday, 12/18, 7:30-9:30

David R. Roediger Black on White (1998) Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark (1992) Langston Hughes, The Ways of White Folks ( 1934) Zora Neale Hurston, Seraph on the Suwanee (1948) Richard Wright, Savage Holiday (1954) Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye (1970) Octavia Butler, Kindred (1979) Percival Everett, Erasure (2001) Course Description: